How-To-Tips (4)

It is easy to store semi-auto pistols in a gun safe using traditional racks that store the gun in the muzzle-up position. However, these racks do not work very well for revolvers since the measurement between the top of the back-strap and the bottom of the grip varies greatly on different revolvers. Several factors come into play such

as the frame size, square grip or round grip, extended grips, etc. You can find the solution to this problem at your local Home Depot or Lowes. Buy a sheet of 1/4"sheet of pegboard, 1/4" dowel rod, and two "L" brackets. Cut the pegboard to fit the height and length of the safe shelf you are going to use for the revolver rack. Then bolt one"L" bracket on each side of the pegboard to hold it up and against the back of the safe wall. This is only necessary until you get one or two pistols/revolvers on the rack, so you can omit the "L" brackets if you prefer.

Cut a length of 1/4" dowel rod for each pistol/revolver you want to put on the rack. The length will be determined by the length of the revolver's barrel. I cut the dowel 1" shorter than the barrel, except 2" revolvers get a 1 1/2" dowel rod. Push the 1/4" dowel rod into the appropriate hole in the pegboard to match the height of the barrel. You can use the same square footage twice by storing shorter pistols/revolvers under taller ones with longer barrels.

I have about 40 or so .45 ACP magazines, with the majority being Chip McCormick Shooting Stars and Power Mags, with a few Wilsons mixed in. I number my mags. so I can identify any that are giving me trouble. I found five mags that would not drop fee when they were empty.

They would when they were partially filled, but what good is that!? I carefully examined all five and couldn't see any signs of a problem. Since these mags were about to go into the garbage, I decided to give something a try. After all, I had nothing to lose.

I used Sears/Craftsman RoboGrips (the smallest size) to gently squeeze the forward lips of the magazines. I do mean "gently!" It didn't appear to be doing any good, as the lips appeared to spring back into their original position. I tried the first mag. in the gun and it dropped free without any drag or delay. I loaded the mag and made sure it would properly feed loaded rounds. I did the same thing to the remaining four magazines. It appeared they were fixed, but I wouldn't know for sure until I had a chance to use them at the range. Range testing proved all five magazines functioned flawlessly. So, mags. destined for the garbage can are now back in the shooting bag. I'll use them in practice and in matches, but they will never see duty in a self-defense role.mags

So, if you have a misbehaving magazine, try this before throwing it in the trash.

There are a lot of fuzzy front sights running around these days. You would think that manufacturers would do a better job of cleaning the burrs off their products before putting them on a gun. Why else would I see a ghost sight, or three front sights, or a fuzzy sight or . . . Well, you get the picture. Unfortunately, there is nothing wrong with the sights and ramping up quality control inspections is not going to solve my problem.

As a shooting buddy recently told me, there is something you need but can never have -- young eyes! I've been wearing contact lenses (+2.25) for years. These days, I also use reading cheaters if I'm reading anything in volume, or if the print is small I'm sure my definition of "smallprint" differs from kids with young eyes!

To give me a crisp front sight, I use the stick-on bifocals (+1.00) you can get from Hidalgo Supply and other places on the Internet. Prices range from as low as $10 per pair to about $30. I cut them to fit on the right lense of my shooting glasses (my dominant eye) so that I am only looking through it when I am shooting with my head "ducked" slightly. This allows me to see a crisp front sight with my dominant eye, but the effect on the target (additional fuzziness) is minimal because the left eye is not looking through the additional magnification.

I actually learned about using only one stick-on bifocal by accident. I bought some new sunglasses and wanted to try them out before the new stick-on bifocals arrived. I took the bifocal off of the left lense of a pair of shooting glasses and tried it on the new glasses. I was amazed how much better it worked. The best thing about this approach is that you can put the stick-ons on any glasses and you only have the extra magnification on the dominant eye, which prevents the target from being significantly more blurred.

Since I am farsighted and use a (+) prescription, but I have had near-sighted people (using a "-" prescription) tell me this method works for them as well.

Here are a couple of photos of what I call the "Ed's Red Bath." This is a S.A.W. ammo can (a/k/a "Fat 50") and the basket came from Lowe's. As you can see, it fits perfectly. The basket even has handles that fold up & down and in the up position, it's easy to lift the basket and let drain

It is necessary to put small parts like the sear and disconnector and the plunger spring in a small can, as they will fall through the holes in the basket. The can I'm using is an aluminum dog food can about 2" tall with holes drilled in the bottom. I paid a little over $4 for the basket and the S.A.W. ammo can was $14 plus shipping. I have seen very few at gun shows. Be sure you don't get a 50 Cal. ammo can for this purpose; the basket is exactly the same size and won't fit.